On a recent trip i had a hitch failure that could of turned into a catastrophe. My hitch broke off right where it comes out of the receiver. Thankfully I had good safety chains to control the trailer as I dragged it down the interstate with sparks flying.

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Notice the stub is rusted. Looks like it's been cracked for some time and finally let go. The 3500# is no big deal. How much tongue weight is the critical question? 12' enclosed with a MC inside could have some significant TW depending how it's loaded. The drop is not really a concern as long as the ratings are not exceeded. That said I never buy no name hitches or hitches from China (Harbor) Freight. With a name brand hitch it may still be made in China but at least you have a reputable company standing behind it.

Skeptical I am. There's rust along the break area that would appear to indicate that the hitch had been in the process of fatigue breaking for a long time. Also, there's dings, bends, bungs around the holes above the bracket that holds the hitch ball. It would appear that this drop hitch has been well used and abused in it's lifetime.

It's a SWAG.... from the looks of it the drop hitch was either used with way too much weight or was not well aligned for a considerable time. It's common to use a drop hitch on trucks that have been 'stylishly' raised due to suspension mods and or oversize tires. Trying to tow with that set up is problematic as you need a long 'drop' to get the trailer's frame generally level. If it isn't pretty much level, the forces are going to break the drop hitch about the same place as in the photo.

Forces would be exacerbated by having the trailer's weight far to the rear instead of over the axle or ahead of the axle.